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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter comprises background of the study, research questions, scope of the study, purposes of the study, significances of the study, definitions of key terms, and the organization of the thesis.
1.1 Background of the Study
Today, certification program for teachers becomes an actual issue in Indonesia educational system. In this program, the government issues a policy for teachers to increase their competences. By these competences, it is expected that the teachers become professional. As a result, the education in Indonesia will develop and be able to compete with other countries in the world.
In this global era, education is an important sector in social life. It needs serious attention because one’s educational qualification determines his/her opportunity in getting a job. Therefore, teachers are demanded to enhance their educational quality by playing the important roles both as educators and teachers. In this regard, teachers are supposed to have certain competencies related to their profession.
2 enhancing the pedagogical practices. This is mentioned by Mulyasa (2008:9) when points out that there are seven indicators that show low quality of the teachers in committing their main job. They involve lack of teacher’s understanding and ability concerning teaching strategies, classroom management, classroom action research, motivation achievement, discipline, professional commitment, and time management.
It is stated in Republic Indonesia Regulation number 14/2005 for lecturer and teacher that teachers must have academic qualification, competence, and certification (article 8). It serves as an endeavor to increase teachers’ professionalism. This regulation leads all teachers to be more professional in committing their profession as teachers and educators. Furthermore, it is also stated in Indonesia Government Regulation number 19/2005 that educators or teachers must have some competencies which involve pedagogical, personality, professional, and social competence (article 28). It can be inferred that the qualification of teachers is measured based on the criteria of those competences.
The purpose of the certification program is to ensure that someone is professional enough to be a teacher. Being professional means that someone has a job or an activity as the source of living cost that requires skills, competences or ability to fulfill standard quality and it also needs certain professional education as stated in Republic Indonesia Regulation number 14/ 2005 for lecturer and teacher (article 1).
3 as a profession. It is called as National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). The purpose of this institution as quoted by Lengkanawati (2007) is to increase learning and teaching quality by maintaining high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do, providing a national voluntary system certifying teachers who meet these standards, and advocating related education reforms to integrate National Board Certification in American education and to capitalize on the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers.
To take teacher certification program through portfolio assessment, there are some components that should be fulfilled by teachers. Those components are assessed by assessors from university. The components consist of ten items which involve academic qualification, training and education, teaching experience, lesson plan, academic achievement, assessment from principals and supervisors, the work of profession development, role in scientific forum, experience in education and social organization, and reward in education field. To succeed in portfolio assessment, it is required that the teachers have to reach minimum sore of 850. If the score is under 850, then it is recommended for them to take teachers training and education (PLPG).
4 from 1600 teachers from Department of Religious Affairs who took certification process, less than 50% passing the portfolio assessment (http://www.klubguru.com/view). In line with that, Basyuni, Islamic school education director of Religious Affairs Department, says that from 21.000
madrasah teachers who took teacher certification program, 60% of them failed in portfolio assessment in 2007. He adds that most of them failed because they did not fulfill the terms of conditions in portfolio assessment (http://www. acehtengahkab.go.id/rf1/index2.php?do_pdf=1&id=338).
Basically, the Indonesia Government highly expects that teacher certification program will increase education quality and teachers’ prosperity as explained in the Guideline of Teacher Certification Program (2009) that teacher certification program is the government effort which is intended to increase the teachers’ quality as well as their prosperity. Clearly, this program is designed for teachers in order to be professional ones.
Based on the considerations above, this study was conducted to find out EFL teachers’ perception towards teacher certification program.
1.2 Research Questions
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1.3 The Scope of the Study
This study focuses on investigating the EFL teachers’ knowledge about certification program, the EFL teachers’ perceptions towards certification program, and the EFL teachers’ efforts to face certification program.
1.4 The Purposes of the Study
Based on the formulated research questions, this study is aimed at finding out the EFL teachers’ knowledge about certification program, the EFL teachers’ perceptions towards certification program, and the EFL teachers’ efforts to face certification program.
1.5 Significance of the Study
This study is expected to give information about EFL teachers’ knowledge about teacher certification program, EFL teachers’ perceptions towards teacher certification program, and EFL teachers’ efforts to face teacher certification program.
1.5
Definitions of Key Terms
1. EFL Teachers are the teachers who teach English at Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs) in Palu, Central Sulawesi.
6 3. Perception is process by which we become aware of changes (through the senses of sight, hearing, etc). (Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary of Current English). Through perception one can see his or her inner capacity (which is the result of the internal process) such as attitude, feeling, point of view (Harvey and Smith, 1977 cited in Yunandami, 2007).
4. Professional English teacher refers to the English teacher who has pedagogical competence, personal competence, professional competence, and social competence.
5. Teacher’s competencies refer to pedagogical competence, personal competence, professional competence, and social competence.
